CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA WALKER

Thai Food Exterior | Okinawa Hai

Just when I thought I knew my neighborhood, this cute new restaurant pops up. Shirokuma Thai is a few blocks north of Torii Station and has some of the most delectable treats I’ve had since being on the island.

Thai Food Interior | Okinawa Hai

Thai Food Table | Okinawa Hai

When I entered this little Thai bistro, the décor struck me as a touch of fun, a lot of creativity, and in essence…fantastic! Soft mood lighting accompanied by dangling baskets of silverware adorn the rustic wood tables. The open air kitchen gives you a glimpse into the geniuses of the chef and if you’re lucky, you can sit at the stainless steel bar and enjoy a heaping bowl of Pad Thai.

We started our meal with a hot plate of sizzling fried spring rolls. The consensus is…they are awesome. The crunchiness of the wonton complimented the filling perfectly. We loved the Thai sweet sauce that was served on the side. I choose one of my tried and true favorites, Thai style fried noodles or Pad Thai.

I’ve had some excellent Thai food in Okinawa and these noodles stood up to the test. The tofu and ample shrimp were flawlessly seasoned in the bed of peanut covered noodles. I was completely stuffed by the bottom of the plate.

My husband had a smaller bowl of pork vermicelli intermingled with fried egg which was full of comforting deliciousness. The ending treat of the evening was coconut milk ice cream that was out of this world. I expected a scoop of store bough coconut flavor but this tasted purely homemade.  The night was a wonderful homey experience. The restaurant was larger than most Okinawan restaurants with at least 6 tables, a bar, and outdoor seating for sunny days!

Thai Food Meal | Okinawa HaiThai Food Ice Cream | Okinawa Hai

The meal was incredibly economical totaling 2200 Yen for the two of us. The entrée items typically were 700-750 Yen.  I also noticed the lunch menu which was a set meal including a salad for 700-840 Yen depending on your entrée choice.

Thai Food Menu | Okinawa Hai

 

Websitehttps://shirokuma949.ocnk.net/page/1#map

Address: Japan, Okinawa Prefecture, Nakagami District, Yomitan, Toya, 304

GPS Coordinates: 26.3924499, 127.726595

Directions:  From Kadena:  58 North, Left on 6 (traffic light), Pass Torii station, the Max Value, a Family Mart. Turn left at blue sign in English overhead that says “Yomitan Fishery Cooperative Society, Toya Fishing Port.” There will also be a statue of a kijimuna with a fishing pole. The restaurant will be 100 yards down the street/alley on the left. Parking is the left turn after you pass the restaurant.

Payment: Accepts both US $ and Yen

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25 COMMENTS

  1. Had dinner here tonight and it was so delicious! The place is really cute and eclectic, the food was fresh and very tasty! We had the fried spring rolls, the basil chicken, pad thai, green curry pho…we were hungry and wanted to try a little bit of everything! 🙂 The Chinese almond pudding with mango sorbet was good too! Oh and the homemade ginger ale!! I could drink that all day everyday!! 🙂

  2. I just visited for the first time and although the parking was ample, restaurant was easy to find, and the service was friendly, the food was really not that impressive. I was disappointed with the Tom Yum which was more sour than others I had had before, not very spicy or aromatic, and didn’t have the collection of vegetables that usually comes in Tom Yum. The Pad Thai was also unremarkable, kind of dry and bland. No matter how much red pepper I added, I couldn’t get the dishes to spice up very much either but I didn’t want to be rude and ask for Sriracha. It was an okay place but I wouldn’t take friends/fam there. Just nice for a chill place to eat during the work week.

  3. Just wanted to let everyone know that this place is still here and still delicious!! I had the Green Curry Pho and my husband had the Red Curry Tofu. We shared the Spring Rolls! All amazing!! Oh… And the homemade ginger ale was delicious too!

  4. Read the reviews before we went here on a date night to find out for ourselves. We got here early and took seating on the little couches (as opposed to the stools)- we got seated quickly. Ordered the special drinks and thought they were heavenly (no thai iced teas):! I ordered the spicy roasted pork and it was knock your socks off good!! Service was awesome (could have used more water), food was solid and the ambiance was casual and romantic. We shall return!!!

  5. Why do Americans always order “pad Thai”? Its like only ever eating a hot dog. Sure, Thai food can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated, but try it! 🙂

    We tried here and the dinner menu has many options while the lunch choices were quite limited. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

    It is a fun place to go and relax, enjoy the atmosphere and eclectic decorations, and converse with the people you came with.

  6. I was very excited about this restaurant. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It took a while to get our food, although the restaurant was fairly busy. I ordered pad thai and found it to be very dry. My husband ordered the thai basil chicken and it tasted like stir fry. Our party of four all agreed we probably wouldn’t go back.

  7. We are always looking for Thai food, and were so excited to go here. We were actually disappointed because we didn’t realize each dish was a smaller portion. We ordered 4 dishes between 2 adults and two small kids, and we left hungry. We would have ordered more, but it took forever for each dish to come out. There were only three other tables of people when we arrived, so we weren’t expecting such a long wait. I’m hoping they were just working out the kinks from just opening. The Pad thai was pretty bland and dry, and I was looking forward to that dish the most. The place isn’t kid friendly, with no high chairs, and we sat on little couches. That wouldn’t prevent us from going back, but the food was just okay so I’m not sure if we will be back.

  8. Bobby is wondering why his post got deleted. Bobby loved the thai food and was honest and gave a good review. Bobby thinks OkinawaHai is afraid of Bobby Barkers 3rd person posts, which is ridiculous.

    Bobby will only say if you eat here, order some white rice.

  9. I was excited to try this place with all the great reviews. We went today and were seated right away. We ordered our food within a few minutes. The hubby ordered the pad thai and I had the chicken with thai basil on rice. About 10 minutes later another couple came in and also ordered. Another 10 minutes they got their food which they also had the pad thai before we got ours. It took them 30 minutes to serve our food. Which by that time the couple who came after us were already leaving. I know it doesn’t take that long to cook any of those foods. The food was good however I don’t think their service was all that great. I was severely disappointed.

  10. Laura, I am always excited to hear of a good restaurant in Yomitan. However, in the directions part of your story you refer to a “cartoon troll” as a landmark. That statue is in fact Kijimuna and is an important figure in Okinawan folklore and culture. I just wanted to let you know your description could be viewed as insulting by our gracious host and would suggest a little more research in the future.

    • Insulting like the locals saying it’s silly to celebrate a holiday where a guy magically comes back to life after being crucified?

      I think 1) this site’s audience is local Americans and 2) in the ‘directions’ portion of the post, the point is to get the said audience to the restaurant as easily as possible. Giving a history lecture or expecting someone to follow a hyperlink to educate themselves on a totally foreign concept is not useful – describing in an easily accessible manner a significant landmark is. Give the history lesson in addition, not in place of usable directions.

      Look, no reasonable person will be insulted by an innocent and accurate description of what is clearly not the most dour deity in the local pantheon. I would be just as critical of an American taking exception to a local pointing out the obviously illogical fallacies of Christianity.

  11. Went there last Friday and the food was delicious. All the other people I went with liked their dishes as well. I definitely didn’t expect the plastic stools. Hopefully they upgrade their seating soon but it will not deter me from visiting again.

  12. My family and I just had lunch here this afternoon. It was DELICIOUS. I had the pad Thai and my husband had Thai noodles with shrimp in a reddish colored broth. It tasted like it might have been made with lemongrass. It was also delicious. The only down-side to this place is that its not very kid-friendly. Their tables are tall with plastic stools to sit on and no high chairs available. Thankfully they had three shorter tables that had little sofas to sit at. Not ideal for small kids, but better than the stools. We want to try out the dinner menu, which is priced the same as lunch, but has more of a selection. Thanks for posting about this! We’re so happy to find another great place to eat so close to home!